Angiocentric T-cell lymphoma of the pancreas presenting as late-onset diabetes mellitus with diabetic retinopathy

Pancreatic lymphoma presenting with clinical diabetes mellitus (DM) is rare . We report angiocentric T-cell lymphoma of the pancreas in a 65-year-old T hai woman who presented with progressive deterioration of visual acuity of both eyes. She had diabetic retinopathy (DR) diagnosed only 20 months after the diagnosis of DM at the age of 63. She later developed erythematous ras hes, fever, and deterioration of consciousness; she eventually died of shoc k. A skin biopsy and bone marrow examination revealed angiocentric T-cell l ymphoma. At autopsy, the pancreas and both eyes were extensively infiltrate d by lymphoma. Widespread involvement of nearly all organs but superficial lymphadenopathy was detected. In contrast to other typical cases of long-st anding DM, only mild atherosclerosis was noted, and no DR was found. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of lymphoma involving the pa ncreas and both eyes producing clinical DM and DR. HUM PATHOL 32:741-745. C opyright (C) 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company.